31st Jul 2020 – White Tulip

PUBLISHERS BLURB

The Bericean army was in Malabrim for the ninth straight fighting season. Over the past 9 years, Zybaro, the leader of a small band of unknowns, had evolved from his days as a minor usurper of a tiny kingdom. Now, almost the entire country of Malabrim was under Zybaro’s control, and his army was large enough to easily challenge Bericea’s army. Still, Bericea continued its raids into Malabrim, hoping to stem Zybaro’s methodical progress and thwart his tyrannical means of control. Zybaro had seized village after village, forcing anyone capable of joining his army and enslaving all who remained in deplorable working conditions to supply his army.

This latest conflict with Zybaro had pushed General Darnon to a decision, one he had resisted making for over a year. Though he still held grave reservations about the Prophecies, he was willing to support the clerics who would attempt the summoning. The details of the ritual had recently been discovered in an ancient tome. The clerics were confident they could bring forth the Summoned Ones of Prophecy, those mysterious beings who would aid Bericea in its time of greatest need.

Darnon also had concerns about the location of the summoning. It would have to take place farther into Malabrim than they had ventured in many years. And even if the ritual was effective, it would be a great challenge to get the Summoned Ones safely back to Bericea, in addition to the soldiers sent to protect them. However, Darnon felt that morale was so low, if they survived this battle, he owed his troops the hope the summoning ritual could bring.

Join the soldiers of Bericea and the Summoned Ones through a life-or-death struggle. The Summoned Ones was made up of a small college aged group of friends from a small Kentucky town near the Daniel Boone National Forrest, who find themselves somehow brought to a chaotic world through magic. Their epic journey will push the Summoned beyond the limits of their endurance. This unlikely group will discover many truths about themselves and experience another world beyond their imagination.

MY REVIEW

The Summoned Ones is Narnia for adults.

When eight friends enter a cave to lay the ashes of a friend, they are transported to war ravaged Bericea. The people of this world believe the friends to be the mythical Summoned Ones……their saviours.

This marvellous tale is a character led fantasy, with such well developed characters that add to the sense of reality albeit in another, very different world. The various creatures and of course some magic, give this an otherworldly atmosphere.

An epic fantasy that’s a real adventure and I can thoroughly recommend it.

Thank you to Darryl A. Woods for an eARC of The Summoned Ones. This is my honest and unbiased review.

PURCHASE LINK. https://amzn.to/30Xdlys

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Darryl Woods is a storyteller who hones his craft entertaining coworkers. He also enjoys regaling family and friends with stories of his upbringing in rural Ohio, of the motorized contraptions his father fabricated, and of the timber cutting and sawmill work he did with his father-in-law. With an appetite for reading fantasy, it was inevitable he would choose to write about an epic journey in a world dominated by magic and sword fighting.

For more information please visit my website.

Darrylawoods.com

PUBLISHERS BLURB

When a hysterical mother reports her baby’s sudden disappearance, suspicion immediately falls on the absent husband. But Detective Geraldine Steel’s gut instinct tells her this case is not as simple as her colleagues think…

Complications in the mother’s life begin to surface, including her relationship with her controlling father, a controversial political figure. As the police investigate, their attempt to find the missing infant grows ever more urgent .

Steel is forced to suspect everyone associated with the family – and when a body is discovered, matters take a deadly turn.

MY REVIEW

Deadly Revenge is #14 in the Geraldine Steel series, it can be read as a stand-alone (but you really should read the rest of this fantastic series too).

When Jessica reports her young baby, Daisy, missing Geraldine and her team begin the investigation…..

There’s a missing baby, a missing husband and a dead councillor…..how are they linked?

As Geraldine searches for the missing baby, she is also dealing with her messy personal life, just as she thought she could be happy, things go awry.

As always in this series, Leigh Russell doesn’t shy away from difficult subjects, like domestic violence, controlling behaviour and even topical politics too.

I have to admit I was a bit confused at the beginning, with different characters and their part in the tale, but this marvellously twisty plot brings them all together as things gradually come clear. With fantastic characters too this really is a read in one sitting book….I loved it.

Thank you to Anne Cater and Random Things Tours for the opportunity to participate in this blog tour, for the promotional materials and an eARC of the book. This is my honest, unbiased review.

Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/39Hfgv3

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Leigh Russell is the author of the Ian Peterson series (Cold Sacrifice, Race to Death and Blood Axe) and the internationally bestselling Geraldine Steel series: Cut Short, Road Closed, Dead End, Death Bed,StopDead, FatalAct, KillerPlan, MurderRing, DeadlyAlibi, ClassMurder, DeathRope, Rogue Killer and Deathly Affair. The series has sold over a million copies worldwide. Cut Short was shortlisted for the Crime Writers Association (CWA), John Creasey New Blood Dagger Award, and Leigh has been longlisted for the CWA Dagger in the Library Award. Her books have been #1 on Amazon Kindle and iTunes with Stop Dead andMurder Ring selected as finalists for The People’s Book Prize. Leigh is chair of the CWA’s Debut Dagger Award judging panel and is a Royal Literary Fellow. Leigh studied at the University of Kent, gaining a Masters degree in English and American Literature. She is married with two daughters and a granddaughter, and lives in London.